sam heart travel

Da Nang Travel Blog - Day 8: Tam Biet Vietnam - Back to Manila 6 PM: Last Hotel Moments Back at the hotel, the clock was ticking. It was time to pack my bags and mentally prepare for the journey back to Manila. A bittersweet feeling washed over me as I double-checked everything, making sure no souvenir was left behind. 7 PM: Farewell Da Nang Nights Checking out was smooth, and we hopped into a Grab car heading to Da Nang International Airport. The 20-minute ride was a scenic farewell, with the city lights twinkling around us. Traffic was surprisingly light, a stark contrast to Manila's rush hour madness. It seemed Da Nang was giving us a calm, peaceful goodbye. 8 PM: Da Nang International Airport – A Rollercoaster of Emotions Arriving at Da Nang International Airport, my initial impression was great. The airport was clean, modern, and well-organized. However, the Cebu Pacific check-in line was unexpectedly long, eating up almost 30 minutes of our time. But hey, what's travel wi...

Day 1 - NAIA terminal 3 - Trapped in Manila's Monsoon Mayhem: A Race Against the Rain to Catch My Flight   Manila had been a soggy mess all week. Rain, relentless and torrential, had transformed the city into a watery labyrinth. It was the kind of downpour that made you question your life choices, especially the decision to book a flight to Vietnam during monsoon season. An orange alert, a constant digital companion on my phone, served as a grim reminder of the flooding chaos engulfing the city. News reports of cancelled flights, including one to North Vietnam earlier that day, fueled my growing anxiety.   My 8 pm flight to Da Nang loomed, a source of both excitement and palpable dread. Mader and Badet’s earlier flight had successfully braved a typhoon in the Philippine West Sea, their tales of gloomy Vietnamese weather offering a bittersweet comfort. Despite their experience, the uncertainty gnawed at me. The weight of a looming Thursday deadline at 4 pm ad...

Tokyo Family Adventure: Day 1 - March 9, 2025   So, Tokyo again! This is my second time in this amazing city, but this trip is extra special. It's the first time in ages – probably the second time ever – that my whole family's been on the same continent! We're making the most of it, believe me. This is a trip we've been planning for ages, and the anticipation has been building for months. The countdown is finally over, and the adventure is officially underway!   Our journey began bright and early. The alarm clock screamed at 7:00 AM, a sound I usually resent, but today, it was the soundtrack to excitement. We piled into a Grab car – a familiar sight here in the Philippines – for the ride from Cavite to NAIA Terminal 3. The 600-peso fare was a small price to pay for the convenience, especially with all our luggage. The traffic was surprisingly light, and we arrived at the airport by 8:00 AM.   The airport buzzed with activity, a symphony of hurried footsteps, roll...

Dumaguete Day 3: City Tour and Farewell 😭   Day 3 in Dumaguete began with a fantastic American breakfast at Leanas Restaurant – two sunny-side-up eggs were the perfect start to the day! 🍳 Then it was time to check out of Charo's Dormitel. Super convenient, they let us leave our luggage at the reception while we explored the city. 🙌   Our city tour kicked off around 1 pm. Our first stop was the impressive Dumaguete Church – a beautiful piece of architecture! ⛪ Then, we headed to the main branch of Silvanas Dumaguete for those famous pastries! They were amazing. 🤤 Lunch was a bit of an adventure. We tried Pizza Hut and Max's, but neither quite hit the spot. Finally, we landed at Mang Inasal in Robinson's Dumaguete – always a safe bet! We spent a little time strolling around the mall afterward.   By 3 pm, it was back to the hotel to collect our bags and head to Dumaguete Airport. There was a bit of a wait before our flight, but...

From Cool Falls to Warm Embrace: Relaxing at Dumaguete's Red Rock Hot Spring   Okay, so after our refreshing dip in Pulangbato Falls, we were starting to feel those hunger pangs. Lunch was definitely on the agenda, but our tour guide had a brilliant suggestion: a quick detour to the Red Rock Hot Spring.   Now, at first, our group was a little hesitant. We'd just come from another water-related activity, and the thought of more water wasn't exactly thrilling. But the Red Rock Hot Spring is only a five-minute drive from Pulangbato, and it's right along the highway, so it was super convenient. We decided to check it out, at least for a quick look.   We asked the staff if we could take a peek at the area before committing, and as soon as I dipped my hand into the pool, I knew we had to stay. The water felt amazing! I immediately told my travel buddies, "We're doing this!" The entrance fee was just 50 pesos, and after snapping som...

Fairy Tale Forest: A Relaxing End to Our Dumaguete Adventure   Okay, so after that incredible lunch at Ati Gigi's (you have to read about that!), we were feeling refreshed and ready for our next adventure: Forest Camp. Let me tell you, this place is HUGE. I'm talking seven pools, lush greenery everywhere, and an atmosphere that felt straight out of a fairy tale.   Seriously, the whole place is incredibly aesthetically pleasing. Think cascading pools, thick, vibrant greenery, and this magical, almost enchanted feeling. It's like stepping into a different world. The pools themselves are wonderfully cool – a perfect way to cool down after all our previous adventures.   We could have easily spent the entire day there, but we were starting to feel a little tired from all the activities we'd packed into our Dumaguete trip. Forest Camp has so many pools and swimming areas that choosing where to go was a bit of a challenge! But we eventually found...

A Warm Welcome and a Delicious Feast: Lunch at Ati Gigi's   Okay, so after all our adventures – the sulfur vents, the waterfalls, the hot springs – we were seriously starving! Lunch was definitely in order, and luckily, Jit Jit (a friend traveling with us) had a family connection in Dumaguete who was more than happy to host us.   We met Ati Gigi in Valencia, a relative of Jit Jit's, and she welcomed us into her absolutely stunning home. I was blown away by how beautiful the community was – her house is located within a very exclusive resort, and the house itself is huge and modern – seriously impressive!   Ati Gigi had prepared the most incredible lunch spread. I mean, seriously, there was so much food! The photos don't even do it justice – we had fish, chicken, a fresh salad, and even wine! But the real star of the show was the lato, a seaweed salad. Now, I've always been a bit hesitant about seaweed – I find it can sometimes be a bit too…...

A Whiff of Sulfur and a Blast of Cool Air: Dumaguete's Sulfur Vents   Okay, so after our relaxing time at The Barn at Mango Farm (which, by the way, you absolutely have to check out!), our Dumaguete adventure took a slightly more… pungent turn. Our next stop? The famous Dumaguete sulfur vents!   It was about a 30-minute drive from the farm, and let me tell you, the journey itself was pretty cool. The road was winding, offering some seriously scenic views, and the breeze was a welcome relief from the still-lingering afternoon heat. As we got closer, though, a new scent started to fill the air – the unmistakable aroma of sulfur. It smelled exactly like rotten eggs, just as everyone had described. I mean, you can't really mistake that smell!   The sulfur vents themselves were quite different from the pictures I’d seen online. It’s clear that they’ve done a lot of development work in the area. There's a newly constructed bridge that keeps visitors at a safe distance fr...

From Luxury to Rustic Charm: A Day in Dumaguete, Part Two   Okay, so after our seriously luxurious experience at Tierra Alta (you have to read about that!), our Dumaguete adventure continued. Our next stop? The Barn at Mango Farm. By this point, it was well into the afternoon, and the sun was blazing down – seriously hot! But we weren't letting a little heat stop us. We were on a mission!   And just like Tierra Alta, this place was a total surprise. While Tierra Alta exuded affluent elegance, The Barn at Mango Farm offered a different kind of charm – a rustic, almost whimsical beauty. The first thing that caught my eye was this vibrant purple windmill – it’s the absolute centerpiece of the whole area, a seriously striking focal point against the lush greenery.   To the left of the windmill sits the barn itself – a massive structure that's clearly designed for big events. Weddings, seminars, parties – you name it. It's currently under constr...